NEW DOUBLE LP
New sealed copy. 2019 reissue. Gatefold jacket.
Thirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released on September 16, 2003. Expanding on the dark, textured sound of their debut, the record blends atmospheric arrangements with heavy, brooding riffs, pushing the band further into alternative and progressive territory. Lyrically, the album takes on themes of addiction and recovery, with Maynard James Keenan’s vocals shifting between vulnerability and intensity across its twelve tracks. Singles such as “Weak and Powerless,” “The Outsider,” and “Blue” showcase this balance, combining sharp melodic hooks with a deep undercurrent of menace.
Commercially, the album was a major success. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling over 231,000 copies in its first week and remaining on the chart for 78 weeks. “Weak and Powerless” topped both the Mainstream and Modern Rock charts and even crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 alongside “The Outsider.” By 2006, the album had earned platinum certification from the RIAA, confirming its lasting reach in both rock and mainstream circles. Extensive touring through 2003 and 2004 further cemented its reputation, with the band building momentum before shifting into the politically charged follow-up, Emotive.
Critically, Thirteenth Step was well received. With a Metacritic score of 74, reviews praised its maturity and refined vision. AllMusic highlighted it as a record of “musical and lyrical maturity that normally doesn’t occur until a band’s third or fourth albums,” calling it proof that mainstream rock could still carry depth and ambition. Today, it stands as one of A Perfect Circle’s defining works, balancing accessibility with complexity and marking an important chapter in early 2000s alternative rock.
TRACKLIST:
A1 The Package
A2 Weak And Powerless
A3 The Noose
B1 Blue
B2 Vanishing
B3 A Stranger
C1 The Outsider
C2 Crimes
C3 The Nurse Who Loved Me
D1 Pet
D2 Lullaby
D3 Gravity
